South African, Russian, and Chinese troops will join their forces in a 10-day multinational maritime operation dubbed “Exercise MOSI” to be staged in February, APA learnt on Monday.According to a statement from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), the maritime exercise with troops from Russia and China will take place starting on 17 February in Durban and Richards Bay — and will last for 10 days.

The objective of Exercise MOSI is to strengthen the already flourishing relations between the three countries, the hosts said.

“This will be the second time such an exercise is taking place involving the three naval forces,  with the first one held in November 2019 in Cape Town,” the SANDF said.

Each country will deploy 350 personnel from various arms of services and divisions participating alongside their counterparts with the aim of sharing operational skills and knowledge, the statement said.

The event coincides with the Armed Forces Day celebration that will take place at uMhlathuze Municipality in Richards Bay, east of KwaZulu-Natal province, on 17 February.

South Africa’s Armed Forces Day commemorates the worst naval tragedy in the country’s history – the sinking of the troopship SS Mendi in the English Channel on 21 February 1917.

 More than 600 South African Native Labour Corps troops on their way to England drowned when the ill-fated troopship was struck by the SS Darro on 19 February 2022 during World War II.